₱25 wage increase can only buy half-kilo rice

CITY OF NAGA, Bicol Region – Makabayan chairman Neri Colmenares hit the ₱25 wage increase approved by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), saying that this would not even dent the high cost of living worsened by the TRAIN law.

Colmenares called on President Rodrigo Duterte to “immediately suspend the collection of TRAIN excise taxes and 12% VAT on oil, water and electricity to alleviate hardship due to high inflation, or better still, scrap these anti-poor taxes”.

The P25 wage hike would definitely not address nor even dent the massive poverty and hunger being experienced by our people,” said the progressive leader.

“Based on a SWS survey conducted from September 15 to 23, the SWS found that 52 percent or 12.2 million families believe they are poor. This is a four-point increase from the 48 percent recorded last June,” said Colmenares

“SWS also stated that about 13.3 percent or 3.1 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger in the past three months.This was 3.9 points higher than last June’s 9.4 percent, and the highest since December 2017, which had 15.9 percent,” he added.

“President Duterte must heed the cry of the people for substantial and uniform minimum wages and the removal of anti-poor taxes on oil, water and electricity,” said the human rights lawyer.

“It is imperative therefore that Duterte classify as urgent House Bill 7787, or the P750 national minimum wage bill and House Bill 7653 or the repeal of the anti-people provisions of the TRAIN law like the excise tax on oil,” said Colmenares. [BicolToday.com]

Posted by BicolToday.com
on November 8, 2018. Filed under Headlines,Nation.
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